Maharaj and Ngidi Add to South Africa’s Growing Injury Woes on England Tour

Maharaj and Ngidi Add to South Africa’s Growing Injury Woes on England Tour

South Africa's tour of England has been marred by a growing list of injuries, with Keshav Maharaj and Lungi Ngidi becoming the latest casualties just as the team began their T20I series in Cardiff.

Maharaj Suffers Groin Injury in Warm-Up

Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj was set to make his T20I return in the series opener against England but was ruled out at the last minute after tweaking his groin during the warm-up. Maharaj, who had been recalled to the T20I side after missing the recent tours of Australia and Zimbabwe, was replaced in the XI by Corbin Bosch.

Speaking after South Africa’s 14-run DLS victory in Cardiff, captain Aiden Markram confirmed the injury setback:

"Keshav was going to play tonight, but he felt his groin during the warm-up. It was unfortunate, but we had to make the late change."

Ngidi Returns Home with Hamstring Strain

Earlier on the same day, fast bowler Lungi Ngidi was officially ruled out of the entire T20I series due to a right hamstring strain. Ngidi will return home on Thursday and faces a tight timeline to regain fitness ahead of South Africa’s World Test Championship (WTC) title defence, which begins against Pakistan on October 12.

Left-arm seamer Nandre Burger has been called up as Ngidi’s replacement and will be available for selection from the second T20I at Old Trafford on Friday.

David Miller Also Sidelined

South Africa’s injury troubles began earlier in the week when senior batter David Miller was withdrawn from the squad after picking up a hamstring strain during the final week of The Hundred. The team has not yet named a replacement for him.

Some Relief: Rabada, Jansen and Williams Return

In more positive news, key bowlers Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Lizaad Williams all returned to action during the rain-affected series opener in Cardiff.

  • Rabada, who missed the ODIs in Australia and England due to ankle inflammation, took the new ball and bowled the opening over.

  • Jansen, recovering from thumb surgery following the WTC final in June, bowled two overs.

  • Williams, out for most of the year after knee surgery, was part of the playing XI but did not bowl.

South Africa will hope their injury-plagued squad stabilizes ahead of a crucial few months, starting with the remainder of the T20I series in England before the high-stakes Test series in Pakistan.